Case inverter

ABSTRACT

A case inverter has a loading station and a discharging station with parallel sets of case confining arms which are rotated in synchronism from the loading station to the discharging station through an arc of 180* but which are returned through the 180* arc in succession to the case loading station so that the case may be loaded before the arms which confine the loaded case are brought to their overlying position at the loading station.

0 United States Patent 1 1 1111 1 Crandlemire May 28, 1974 CASE INVERTER 3,510,381 5/1970 Hollingsworth 214 1 0 x [76] Inventor: Roger C. Crandlemire, 159 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Washington St, Duxbury, Mass- 951,740 3/1964 Great Britain 1. 214/1 00 02332 [22] Filed: Jam 5, 1973 Primary ExaminerFrank E. Werner [21] Appl. No.1 321,392 57 ABSTRACT A case inverter has a loading station and a discharging [52] US. Cl. 214/1 QA Y i n wi h parallel set of case confining arms which [51] Int. Cl 865g 7/00 r ro te in ynchronism from the loading station to [58] Field of Search..... 198/33 AD; 214/1 Q, 1 QA, the discharging station through an arc of 180 but 214/1 O6, 130 R which are returned through the 180 arc in succession to the case loading station so that the case may be [56] References Cited loaded before the arms which confine the loaded case UNTED STATES PATENTS are brought to their overlying position at the loading 2,365,007 12 1944 Rideout et a1 214 1 06 x Statlon' 3,490,612 1/1970 Webers et al. 214/1 QA 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 4\l 4? Z v 2O 24 1 2 I J .5 2 Zfi 'PATENTEB W23 B74 sum 20F 2 FIG 3 FIG- 4 1 CASE INVERTER This invention relates to case inverters and more particularly to a case inverter which maintains by virtue of a novel arrangementof parts and driving mechanisms therefor a positive control over the case being inverted throughout the entire inversion operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Previous inverters known to me, including that of US. Pat. No. 3,074,215 have parts which transfer a box or other load from one rotating support onto a receiving support during a l80 inversion, but neither of which are held near the box throughout the entire 180 inversion pathway. The result is that positive control of the box is not present during the beginning and the end of the inversion. This absence of control is necessitated no doubt by the problem of achieving mechanical clearance were both supports to move through the entire 180 arc.

SUMMARY OF THE. INVENTION It is hence an object of the invention to provide a practical arrangement of parts and driving mechanisms therefor for carrying two supports in parallel spaced relation (with a box or case sandwiched therebetween) from a case loading position through a 180 arc to a case discharging position without disturbing the parallel relation of the supports but permitting separate return of the supports to the loading position.

A typical embodiment of apparatus of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a side-elevational view taken through the apparatus substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation of the apparatus of FIG. I; and

FIG. 4 is a series of diagrammatic representations of the relation of certain parts of the machine at different stages during one operating cycle.

In FIG. I, the case-loading position is at the right and the case-discharging position is at'the left.

The apparatus is shown in FIG. 1 at the completion of a cycle with a pair of central parallel load-supporting arms 20, 22 extending to the right into. slots 24 and 26 respectively of a stationary load-supporting platform The arms 20 and 22 are supported on a yoke 30 formed by links 32 and 34 fixed to a main shaft 36.

The shaft 36 bears at the left hand end as shown in FIG. 3 a driving gear 38 which is engaged by a rack 40 reciprocated by the piston 42 of hydraulic cylinder 43 which is set in its reciprocation to rotate the shaft 36 180 in one direction, dwell and then 180 in a return direction.

Returning to FIG. I, the other load support consists of two arms 44, 46 which are shown within the slots 48 and 50 of a discharge platform 52.

These arms 44 and 46 extend at right angles to rods 54, 56 which tie the arms rigidly through links 58, 60 to sleeves 62 and 64 respectivelycarried on the ends of shaft 36. The arms 44, 46 are thus offset radially from shaft 36 but fixed thereto for rotation therewith.

Sleeves 62 and 64 are connected together for syn chronous and simultaneous rotary motion by carrying a pair of gears 66, 68 which mesh with a pair of gears 70, 72 fixed on auxiliary cross-shaft 74.

The gears 68 also meshes with a rack which is reciprocated vertically by piston 82 of a second hydraulic cylinder 84.

The operation of the apparatus is best explained by reference to FIG. 4 wherein a" stage represents the position of the arms 44, 46, of the racks 40 and 80 and of the arms 20 and 22 at the beginning of the cycle.

FIG. 4b illustrates the parts 44, 46 and 80 in different positions as the parts 44, 46 are moved half-way through their arc of rotation.

FIG. 40 illustrates rack 80 having moved to its lowest position to complete the motion of the parts 44, 46 through the arc of to a position overlying in parallel vertically spaced relation, and preferably touching the top of, a box which has been loaded as shown in 4b onto the arms 20, 22.

FIG. 4d shows synchronous motion of the two racks 40 and 80 to an intermediate position carrying the box into a vertical position confined between the pairs of arms.

FIG. 4e illustrates both racks having moved to their topmost positions to bring the arms 20, 22 and the arms 44, 46 to the rear discharging position.

FIG. 4f shows rack 40 having moved downwardly during the return movement of the arms 20, 22.

It must be seen that during the motion illustrated by FIGS. 40, 4d and 4e, the pairs of supporting arms 20, 22, 44, 46 give positive support through the entire 180 arc of motion. Yet as shown in FIG. 4f, the front load-' ing arms 20, 22 may be independently returned to the 4a position leaving the arms 44, 46 in their rear discharging position as they were in FIG. 4e. All of this is accomplished by virtue of practical and trouble-free driving mechanism as heretofore described.

What is claimed is: l. A case inverter comprising: a frame; a shaft journalled in said frame; a pair of arms fixed to a central section of said shaft and extending forwardly therefrom; a pair of spaced sleeves mounted on the ends of said shaft; arms fixed to said sleeves and extending rearwardly from said'sleeves; means for rotating said shaft to move said central sectionarms from a case loading position on the front side of said shaft to a case discharging position on the back side of said shaft; means for rotating said sleeves in synchronism independent of rotation of said shaft to move said sleeve arms from a case discharging position on the back side of said shaft to a case loading position on the front side of said shaft overlying a case loaded on said central section arms; means synchronizing the rotation of both said sleeve arms and said central section arms in a casecarrying motion from the front side to the back side of said shaft; and means for retrorotating said shaft to return said central section arms to their front side case loading position in advance of movement of said sleeve arms from their back case discharging position to their front case loading position. 2. A case inverter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shaft rotating means rotate said shaft to move the central section arms through an arc of 180 from their case 5. A case inverter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the central section arms and the sleeve arms, in their case discharging back side positions, are parallel and extend substantially horizontally.

6. A case inverter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the central section arms and the sleeve arms, in both their front side and back side positions are parallel and extend substantially horizontally in vertically spaced relation. 

1. A case inverter comprising: a frame; a shaft journalled in said frame; a pair of arms fixed to a central section of said shaft and extending forwardly therefrom; a pair of spaced sleeves mounted on the ends of said shaft; arms fixed to said sleeves and extending rearwardly from said sleeves; means for rotating said shaft to move said central section arms from a case loading position on the front side of said shaft to a case discharging position on the back side of said shaft; means for rotating said sleeves in synchronism independent of rotation of said shaft to move said sleeve arms from a case discharging position on the back side of said shaft to a case loading position on the front side of said shaft overlying a case loaded on said central section arms; means synchronizing the rotation of both said sleeve arms and said central section arms in a case-carrying motion from the front side to the back side of said shaft; and means for retrorotating said shaft to return said central section arms to their front side case loading position in advance of movement of said sleeve arms from their back case discharging position to their front case loading position.
 2. A case inverter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shaft rotating means rotate said shaft to move the central section arms through an arc of 180* from their case loading front side positions to their case discharging back side positions.
 3. A case inverter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sleeve rotating means rotates said sleeves in synchronism through an arc of 180* from their case discharging back side positions to their case loading front side positions.
 4. A case inverter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the central section arms and the sleeve arms, in their front side case loading positions, are parallel and extend substantially horizontally.
 5. A case inverter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the central section arms and the sleeve arms, in their case discharging back side positions, are parallel and extend substantially hOrizontally.
 6. A case inverter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the central section arms and the sleeve arms, in both their front side and back side positions are parallel and extend substantially horizontally in vertically spaced relation. 